1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to pomegranate compounds, and more particularly, to methods for obtaining and using extracts from pomegranate solids and compositions comprising pomegranate extracts and pomegranate juice to treat arteriogenic erectile dysfunction.
2. Description of the Related Art
Oxidative stress, a major contributor to cardiovascular diseases, is associated with lipid peroxidation in arterial macrophages and in lipoproteins. Oxidized low-density lipoprotein (Ox-LDL) was shown to be atherogenic, thus, interventions to inhibit LDL oxidation by dietary antioxidants is of major importance to attenuate atherosclerosis. It was recently shown that vitamin E supplementation to subjects with carotid artery stenosis inhibited LDL accumulation in arterial macrophages. Protection of lipids from oxidation can be also achieved by serum paraoxonase (PON1), an HDL-associated esterase that can hydrolyze and reduce specific lipid peroxides in arterial cells and lipoproteins in coronary and carotid lesions.
Vascular risk factors, including hypercholesterolemia, atherosclerosis, hypertension and diabetes mellitus, can interfere with the intricate neurovascular mechanisms underlying normal erection. Hypoxemia, sleep apnea and respiratory failure are also increasingly recognized as causes of erectile dysfunction (ED). These conditions are known to induce oxidative tissue injury due to accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as superoxide, H2O2 and hydroxyl radicals.
It is well-known that fruits and vegetables are an essential part of a healthy diet. Chief, among the reasons, is that fruits and vegetables are rich sources of important phytochemicals, which provide essential nutrients and enhance the body's ability to prevent and fight disease. There is a multitude of phytochemicals, in unique combinations, in different fruits and vegetables, and each function differently in the body: as anti-oxidants, as anti-allergenic, as anti-carcinogenic, as anti-inflammatory, as anti-viral, and/or anti-proliferative.
There are many kinds of antioxidants, some produced by the body and others derived from the foods we eat. When the body's natural antioxidant defenses are lowered or greater amounts of free radicals are being produced, the body becomes more dependent upon food sources of antioxidants.
Antioxidants such as vitamin E and vitamin C have been used widely in clinical practice to protect the body from harmful free radicals. Other families of antioxidants with more potent free radical scavenging capacities, such as polyphenols, might also be effective for protecting the cardiovascular system. Indeed, the consumption of red wine or pomegranate juice polyphenols by mice as well as by humans has significantly inhibited oxidative stress, atherogenesis and atherosclerotic lesion development.
The pomegranate was recently chosen as the logo for the Millennium Festival of Medicine, mainly because of its medicinal properties as described by all major religions and by folk medicine (11). Pomegranate juice (PJ) possesses impressive antioxidative properties due to its high flavonoids content, mainly the water soluble tannins and proanthocyanins. We have recently shown the antioxidative and antiatherogenic characteristics of PJ consumption in atherosclerotic apolipoprotein E deficient)(E°) mice. In healthy humans, PJ consumption also demonstrated potent antioxidative capabilities against lipoprotein oxidation, and also increased PON 1 activity and improved serum total antioxidant status.
Studies have shown that pomegranate juice has more polyphenol antioxidants than any other drink, such as red wine, green tea, blueberry juice, cranberry juice and orange juice. Currently, the two common ways of consuming pomegranates are by eating the fleshy arils of the pomegranate and by drinking the juice obtained from the arils.
Oxidative tissue injury occurs when the oxidative burden of the body exceeds its antioxidant capacity. The mechanism of oxidative injury is thought to involve lipid peroxidation, protein oxidation, DNA oxidation, decreased synthesis and bioavailability of endothelial (e) and neuronal (n) nitric oxide (NO), and the up-regulation of proinflammatory cytokines, growth factors and tissue specific receptors. Oxidative injury is known to alter tissue structure and function in many organs, including the heart, blood vessels, lung, kidney and brain. The role of oxidative stress in erectile dysfunction, however, has not been thoroughly investigated.